Runaway Zanpakutō
by Vivereincubore
Summary: While Tōshirō is still a third seat, he's sent out to investigate an unusual anomaly, and is trapped inside a cave with an unaffiliated Zanpakutō spirit. Out of sheer panic, he tries to leave, and instead is forced to undergo a test to prove his worth of his own Zanpakutō. Once he returns, strange things begin happening around him. It seems like the strange Zanpakutō has begun to f


I am by no means an avid Bleach fan - That being said, I am a big Tōshirō fan. This is an odds-and-ends story I'll be writing relatively infrequently on, when I find both time and inspiration. This starts out as a Pre-Canon story, around maybe 50ish years before the start of Bleach.

* * *

Tōshirō isn't quite sure what to think of this mission. It had shuffled its merry way through the upper echelons of the Gotei 13 before finally being shoved off to Taicho Isshin's desk.

Only to promptly end up on his desk, hiding under the mass of breeding paperwork. The third seat cursed quietly, side-eyes the breeding mass of paperwork at his elbow with a little sigh. Maybe a little break would do him well. He pulls apart the paper, scans it with idle curiosity. It's a simple request to go to a cave in the 67th district of west Rukongai. There had been a reported anomaly that had been checked out previously, but the previous Shinigami had seen nothing out of the ordinary. However, periodic checks had been scheduled for as long as the anomaly lasted.

Might as well do this correctly, Tōshirō decided, kneading his forehead and hunting down the paperwork to request leave. Quietly, he was grateful for the rather easy mission this promised to be - a little time out of the office would do him well. If he was lucky, he could visit his grandmother, see how she was doing. Sending it off, Tōshirō returned to work, sloughing through as much of the paperwork as he could so he wouldn't have to worry about it when he returned. It wasn't more than half an hour before a Hell Butterfly landed lightly on his desk, allowing him to gently take it in a hand and accept the orders.

"Thank you," He says softly, allows it to leave as he busies himself sorting his desk up to a neat pile of papers, wishing silently that he had finished his paperwork before it had arrived. As was his habit, he bade his Taicho goodbye, ducked the impending hair-ruffle, and made his escape when Rangiku entered to scold their Taicho about his paperwork yet again.

It's a nice enough day, so Tōshirō decides to make the best of it, take a walk and get a meal before leaving for the Rukongai and starting his mission. Being a little lazy wouldn't kill him. _Tachio is rubbing off on me_, He thinks to himself, amused. He wanders through the markets a little absently, scanning the shops for a place to eat before his attention is caught by his childhood friend Momo, who is looking around, before his white hair captures her attention.

"Hello Hitsugaya-kun!" She greets him, reaches a hand out to hold his lightly. He accepts her hand, smiles at her fondly. "Taking a break for once?" She asks hopefully, prompts a rueful chuckle out of him.

"As much as I wish I could, no. I'm just looking for somewhere to eat before I go out for a mission," He admits, has the pleasure of seeing her shake her head and laugh.

"Workaholic. I swear, you're almost as bad as Aizen-sama," She laughs at him, holds his hand and leads him towards a relatively empty store. "Try here! This place has very good food!" She promises, glances at the clock with a little frown. "I would stay, but I promised to join up with a few other Fukutaichos and work on something with them," She said apologetically. He smiles at her, gently nudges her shoulder.

"It's alright, go ahead Momo," He says kindly. She had a good record - He wouldn't break that because he wanted some company. She hurried off, and Tōshirō smiles to himself, before looking over the menu to decide on his meal.

* * *

The cave was nondescript, and so unremarkable Hitsugaya actually walked past it twice before he found it, frowning lightly. "You'd think they'd put a marker here," He remarks softly, feels Hyōrinmaru hum quietly in his agreement. Warily, Tōshirō walks into the cave, reaches his fingers out to carefully walk along the side and keep his location straight, frowning when he noticed the lack of lanterns in the smooth stone passages. It was almost as if nobody had entered this place. Almost instantly, Tōshirō felt on guard, unable to place his wariness, even as he went deeper into the cave, feet pattering gently against the chilled stone below him.

Suddenly, the light cut off, stone slamming down to seal him inside the cave.

"I've been waiting for you, Shinigami-san." The voice says softly, childishly. "Please don't be alarmed - I only wish to talk to you. My name is Ten."

* * *

**Terms and Definitions:**

Shinigami - Death God. In the English Translation, they're called Soul Reapers, which is more accurate in terms of their actual jobs in the series.

Taicho - Captain. In Bleach, there are thirteen Captains - each who head a division. Together they form the Gotei 13.

Fukutaicho/Soutaicho - Prefixes for Captains. Fukutaichos are Lieutenants, and Soutaicho is the Head Captain - General, more or less.

Gotei 13 - The location of the Shinigami Corps - It's primarily made up of Shinigami districts and their workers. Each Division handles specific aspects of the government, and they answer primarily to the Central 46.

Rukongai - The largest part of Soul Society, the Rukongai is made up of 80 districts in the four Cardinal directions - It forms a grand total of 320 districts, each of which get poorer the further away from the center you get.

Name-kun - A suffix that is used by an older person to their junior of male gender. The rule is flexible however.

Name-san - A suffix that is gender-neutral, it is the same as someone saying Mr. or Mrs.

Name-sama - Another Suffix, this is a much more respectable term, used by those of a lower status to someone of a higher status than them.


End file.
